The talented executive leadership team at Berry is charged with ensuring our continued focus and success. Together, these individuals balance day-to-day performance objectives with innovation and growth opportunities; their shared goals are to transform the way we serve customers and to sustain our leadership position.
John S. Fischer has served as The Berry Company's Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since November 2011. In that position, he has overall responsibility for the company's strategy, growth and value creation. Mr. Fischer served as General Counsel and Secretary of the Local Insight Media group of companies (The Berry Company's predecessor) from June 2006 until November 2011. From December 2004 until May 2006, he served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Dex Media, Inc., where he focused on securities, commercial and transactional matters (including Dex Media's $9.5 billion merger with R.H. Donnelley Corporation). From July 2003 until December 2004, he was a member of the law department at Qwest Communications International Inc., where he provided legal support and advice to the company's Corporate Development group. Mr. Fischer's experience also includes serving as Managing Partner, Telecoms, of Logica Consulting, a European management consultancy; serving as General Counsel of LCC International, Inc.; and engaging in private law practice. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Stanford University (Phi Beta Kappa) and JD and MBA degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles.
As Chief Financial Officer, Richard Hallé oversees all aspects of finance for the company, including accounting, treasury, tax, planning, forecasting, budgeting and reporting. Mr. Hallé has more than 20 years of diverse experience in financial management with operating and financial services companies. He is the former CFO of DTN Holding Company in Omaha, Nebraska, an information services business he joined in 2003 as it was going through bankruptcy. After the company's emergence, Mr. Hallé spearheaded an internal transformation targeted at increasing revenue and operating profits. After five years of declining financial performance, DTN delivered three consecutive years of revenue growth and a 30 percent increase in operating profits. DTN was successfully sold to a public company in 2008. Prior to joining DTN, Mr. Hallé was a Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Inc. in Denver, Colorado, where he specialized in developing restructuring strategies. Mr. Hallé holds a BA and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business.
W. Aaron Bowlds serves as General Counsel for The Berry Company, responsible for the company's legal department and operations. Mr. Bowlds also oversees the company's Business Development, Human Resources and Corporate Communications functions. He joined Berry in June 2008 as Assistant General Counsel. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Bowlds served as Corporate Counsel at Level 3 Communications where his focus was on commercial and transactional matters, including public and private acquisitions and the negotiation of large commercial transactions for telecommunications network facilities and services with major carriers and content providers. He also formerly engaged in private practice at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, now K&L Gates, where he focused on public company securities and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Bowlds holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky (Cum Laude) and a J.D. degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Mark J. Lane serves as Berry's Senior Vice President of Client Services, with responsibility for the company's Sales and Marketing functions. Mr. Lane has 25 years of experience with Berry supporting its independent line of business, most recently as Regional Vice President of Sales, a position which he held from 2001 until his current appointment. In addition to holding leadership posts in sales, sales management, and client relations, he has also served in key roles in Training and Human Resources and is a former Senior Director of Telco Relations, General Manager, and Regional Director. A Dayton native, Mr. Lane is active in a variety of community and philanthropic organizations. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Miami University of Ohio.
Mike Askew is The Berry Company's Chief Information Officer (CIO). He has more than 25 years of industry experience, with expertise in leading complex business transformation and technology integration programs. Prior to his current role, Mr. Askew worked with companies across a number of industries, including other Yellow Pages companies. He also served as a Global Relationship Partner with IBM Business Consulting (formerly Pricewaterhouse Coopers Consulting) in the firm's Communications Sector. Mr. Askew holds Bachelor's degrees in computer science and engineering from California Polytechnic State University and has completed MBA work at the George Washington University. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine service (SSBN 598) and of the Knoll's atomic power laboratory in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he taught Naval Nuclear Power Operations.
As Senior Vice President of Production, Bartolomé Soriano oversees all aspects of publishing operations for LIM Dominicana, a subsidiary of The Berry Company operating in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He has a track record of more than 20 years of leadership experience in systems and IT management, most recently for CODETEL, (Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos) in Santa Domingo, where his roles included serving as director of System Management and director of the company's Transformation Program. He has also served in key IT and systems roles at companies such as Banco de Reservas and Oracle Corp. Mr. Soriano holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The United States Air Force Academy.
Jessica Pruss is Vice President of Operations, responsible for Sales Operations and Reporting, Corporate Programs, and Customer Service. Since joining the company in 2007, she has served in key leadership roles in Marketing, Operations, and Billing Collections and Customer Service. Ms. Pruss has more than 15 years of diverse business experience and 10 years of experience in the local search industry. Prior to joining Berry, Ms. Pruss served in various marketing and product development roles at Dex Media, and was an account manager and trainer for AT&T and its partner StarTek. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Spanish literature from the University of Colorado and an international MBA from the University of Denver.
Eric Owen serves as Vice President of Digital Strategy and Partnerships. In this role, he has oversight for Berry's digital strategy, emerging technologies, strategic relationships and new product development. Owen joined Local Insight Media in April 2006 in a similar capacity, shortly after the company's formation.
Prior to his current position, Owen served as Senior Vice President of Business Development for Local Matters, where he successfully negotiated a fractional license agreement with FAST Search and Transfer and managed all mapping relationships. From 1999 to 2004, he led business development for U S WEST's Internet group, serving as Senior Vice President of Business Development beginning in 2001. He began his career in 1990 with U S WEST Direct. There, he was quickly tapped to lead a directory start-up operation, Polska, now owned by European Directories. In 1996, Owen joined Transwestern Publishing, the largest independent publisher at the time, to lead industry consolidation efforts and launch the company's Internet operations.
Owen holds a B.S. in Economics from Colorado State University, an MBA from the Daniels School of Business, and additional masters level course work at the Wharton School of Business.
In his role as Vice President, Client Services, Tony Bulugaris is responsible for Sales Operations, Sales Processes and Analytics, Customer Relations and Account Management. Tony is a 13-year veteran of Berry, joining the company in 1999 as a sales rep. He has held numerous sales, training and management positions during his time with Berry, including the last three-plus years as Client Services Regional Director for Berry's Rochester, New York, division. Tony has earned several top sales/management awards at Berry, including both the President's Club and Executive Club awards, and in 2007 he was selected to receive the prestigious Elmer Smith Eagle Leadership Award recognizing extraordinary leadership behavior and superior sales results. Tony is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Decision Science Modeling.
